Leave of Absence
by Old Iron
Summary: There are times when a deviation from the norm, such as taking one's leave from their day-to-day dealings can set one on a path beyond anything they thought to be possible. Be it for good, for ill, or something that cannot be put into the words of mortal men.
1. Prologue

Greetings everyone. It's been far too long. Between work and other commitments, I haven't had much of any chance to do some serious writing. Now that things have begun to settle, well, I have a present for you all.

There's been a fairly decent demand for Leave of Absence to continue, and I honestly just cannot continue it's original iteration. The flame that kept it going has gone out and I've not a single clue where to take it. So I decided the next best thing would be to reboot it with updated writing ability and a plot in mind from the get-go.

As per usual, I own nothing and would greatly appreciate any comments or criticisms.

I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Yuuno Scrya was usually not a man who could be so easily taken away from his work. Not only did he love it tremendously, but there was often so much that needed doing he was unable to properly delegate the tasks to others who were authorized to do them. He had probably accumulated more sick leave and vacation time than anyone else in the Infinity Library's history owing to how much time he put in. No one else had ever been subjected to the possibility of a 168 hour work week before, much less pulled it off; completely ignoring the fact he had likely entered a state of insanity by the end.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, there were individuals who readily knew how to make people take time off. The nondescript letter from the Human Resources department named one of them and the medical release paper included along with it named a second. Had it only been the one from HR, then he might have ignored it. However the letter accompanying HR's irritating notice was one which he could not ignore. Not if he wished to avoid drawing the not insignificant ire of his girlfriend.

One did not enter into a relationship with one of the Three Aces of the TSAB without shouldering considerable risk to life and limb. And given that the woman in question was not only capable of leveling city blocks; but also had a small personal army at her disposal... Sometimes it was better to be a little more compliant. Particularly considering the extent of Yagami Hayate's imagination.

He would never forgive Zafira for abducting him from his office. Even if it was under Hayate's orders, the Guardian Beast did not have to haul him out in a princess carry and under no small number of binds.

The rumors were flying for weeks.

With a sigh, Yuuno set the letters back onto his desk and glanced around his office. He was now on no less than a week's worth of enforced leave with orders to not so much as think about entering his office. "So much to do..." His voice would have echoed in the spacious room were the acoustics not so horribly warped by the presence of endless tomes, trinkets, and the multitude of furniture items; many of which were being used to house the former two.

At the very least he knew that the two he left in charge would not shirk their responsibilities. Arf hated doing things by half measures and despite the fact being a librarian was likely not her first choice of employment and the amount of grumbling she did; no one would deny the fact she took her duties quite seriously. The other half of the equation was, of great surprise to many, Vivio.

Vivio had taken to the job like a fish to water after her not so successful attempt to make a name for herself in the same vein as her adopted mother. Sure, she could blow people up just as well as Nanoha; however the problem lay in the fact all she really had was power. She lacked the eye for combat and the mindset that would allow a person to truly sink into the battlefield. It was something many of their circle of friends had in spades regardless of whether or not they made use of it. Yuuno considered Shamal to be a perfect example of such a situation.

As Yuuno had begun to draw himself out of his musings and towards the task of preparing a notice to go out about his newfound vacation, a series of heavy thuds on the door took his attention away from the computer. "Come ...in?" That didn't quite sound like knocking...

What entered through the doorway was what appeared to be not so much a person, but rather a tower of tomes with human legs and a rather distinctive blond side-tail. Yuuno gave an amused sigh. Speak of the devil's daughter and she shall appear. He walked over to the strange creature and handily took more than hall the pile into his own arms. "Haven't I told you not to carry so much at once?"

Vivio nodded and adjusted her gasp on the books so she could carry them with one hand. Reaching up, she pulled free the sheaf of paper she'd been holding between pursed lips. She giggled awkwardly. "I was kinda in a hurry. And I couldn't find anyone with Level A clearance." She hurriedly thrust the paper into Yuuno's face before he could make any sort of comment. "But is this true? Are you really going on vacation?"

Yuuno blinked and plucked the missive from the energetic girl's hand. Reading over the contents, he noted that HR appeared to be covering all their angles to get him out... Wasn't that some sort of breach in protocol? "Apparently so. I just found out today." He gestured over his shoulder to his computer as he continued, "I was about to send out a message, but it looks like I don't have to."

The blond girl nodded and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll take care of things here." She absolutely was not looking forward to commandeering her uncle's absurdly comfortable chair. Not one bit. "And Arf will help too."

"I'd hope so. I don't want her trying to pass everything off onto you so she can go take a nap." Yuuno would have sworn he heard a sneeze after he finished speaking.

"Hehe. I'll keep her in line." Vivio began walking over to one of the desks in the office and set down her pile of ancient books. "What are you going to do on your vacation?"

A much more pronounced thud accompanied the larger pile of books in Yuuno's hands being set down. He thought for a moment before answering. What did he want to do? "I'm... not really sure. If Hayate's not tied up, I'd like to take her to dinner or something. But other than that... I really don't know. Read, perhaps? Maybe do some cleaning."

Vivio placed a finger on her cheek as she tried to think of something. Yuuno's idea of a vacation needed some work. Aunt Hayate had been most helpful, but her uncle was still a bit of an odd one. "That doesn't sound like much of a vacation... I know!" She turned to him with a wide smile. "You can go to the beach! And you can take Aunt Hayate with you."

Yuuno laughed. "You just want me to get her away from you since there's a convention coming up next month." The 'erk' sound Vivio made confirmed that was at least part of the reason. "At least she won't dress you up as Mami again."

"That was embarrassing..." Vivio had not been too pleased with Hayate's choice of costume. But it was admittedly better than what some of the others had been stuffed into. But they'd had fun, even if they didn't want to admit it. Signum would rather eat hot coals than say she genuinely enjoyed dressing up as someone named 'Lamia'.

"It was fun though. But the beach does sound like a good idea. I'll be able to get away from all the computer trouble we've been having." He walked over to his chair and sat down. He frowned as he noted that the display was starting to be filled with static. "...And here it goes again."

"Still?" The Head Librarian nodded in response to her question. "I'm really worried about that. It's never happened before and no one knows why it's happening. Nothing's being damaged at least..." Moved around seemingly at random, but nothing was being damaged or destroyed. What's more, there was no detectable foreign presence in the network at any time. And no one had been able to find anything when they caught it happening. It was unnerving and disturbing.

There was a sigh from the blond man. "It's still a major security breach. We haven't found anything being accessed that isn't already accessible to the public. And whatever it is, it isn't trying to gain access to secure documents." He was more than willing to give thanks for small favors. If it gained access to certain areas... it would be disastrous. At this point, the only plausible solution had been to physically separate those areas from the library network. The entity hadn't seemed to notice or care.

"Well... Don't think about it and enjoy your vacation." Vivio gave Yuuno an encouraging smile as she crossed her arms. "Like I said, just leave everything to me."

"And Arf, right?" Yuuno smiled as the girl nodded. He stood and closed a few of the open books on his desk. "Alright then. I'll do just that, Temporary Head Librarian." Vivio seemed to glow as she was given her assignment. It took about an hour to make sure she had all the access she would need and to ensure she knew about all the tasks that would require her attention during his leave, but Vivio took in her duties with a seriousness Yuuno had a hard time finding even in some adults. He really wished that more people would follow her example; especially in his own department.

As Yuuno was finishing gathering up his things and heading out the door, Vivio called out to him, ""Enjoy your break!"

"I will." There was a pause before he left his office and he gave Vivio a mischievous grin. It was the sort that might be more commonly seen on Nanoha or Hayate. "And if you do well enough, I'll tell you where I got that chair."

He laughed as the childish shout of joy followed him out the door.

"Now then... I have some plans to make."

Unbeknownst to him, each display he passed flickered for the most brief of moments.


	2. A Black Wind Blows

Behold, chapter the second! I'm going to be sticking with shorter chapters for the most part. They're much more manageable with my current schedule and will keep people from waiting months upon months upon months for a 20-40K word chapter. To those who can crank those monsters out with such amazing quality and such mind-blowing speed, I salute you. That is truly an impressive skill.

And I am genuinely thankful for everyone who's left a review. They mean a great deal to me.

In regards to a review posted about Yuuno and Hayate's relationship already being ongoing, that will be covered in greater detail later on. I decided that trying to build their relationship from friends to something far more significant during the course of this story would detract or even derail the main plot. It may be rather heavy handed of me, but I believe it is for the better here.

As per usual, I own nothing and would greatly appreciate any comments or criticisms.

I hope you enjoy.

EDIT: Re-uploaded to fix some rather embarrassing errors.

* * *

It had been a rather long drive home; something Yuuno attributed to poor timing on his time of departure, but right now he was splayed out comfortably on the rather worn couch in his home. The temptation to simply fall asleep was considerable at the moment. In fact, he was fairly certain if he wasn't careful he would sleep away his entire vacation. Part of him didn't think doing so was actually a bad idea.

Yuuno always found it rather amazing how he never really knew just how much he needed a break until he actually took one. It was something his friends tended to poke fun at when the opportunity arose. Chrono in particular was rather fond of doing so. But the admiral also rarely missed a chance to torment the librarian.

He'd made some plans on the drive home in regards to what he'd do with his time off and one of them was to finally catch up on the backlog of reading he had. There were at least a dozen books sitting on his bookshelf that hadn't gone beyond the prologue. There was also the obligatory cleaning of the house to take care of. Fortunately there wasn't much to do there as most of the mess he made was in his office, a rather unavoidable component of just how widespread his work ended up being. Vivio often commented on how strange a sight it was to see his office in a clean state.

...Maybe he ought to work on that.

Another facet of his vacation plans involved Hayate. They hadn't been on a proper date in quite a while and as much fun they had simply sitting around one of their houses playing games or just enjoying each other's company, he really wanted to do take her out on for a nice evening. Dinner, movie, the whole cliche'd nine yards. He could already see the look on her face when he asked her.

Granted, the entire plan hinged on her being able and willing to go out. She could wind up just as overworked as he could and there had been a few times he'd gotten a call to go pick her up from the office because she'd fallen asleep at her desk. Shamal had found it more than a little amusing. Even more so when he'd brought her into the house on his back as she'd ended up wrapping her arms around him like a large teddy bear.

Yuuno recalled that particular event with a smile and a laugh. It had been before they'd started going out in any sort of official capacity and the amount of teasing they'd been subjected to by the Wolkenritter had been considerable. And since they were Hayate's Knights, they'd learned just how to get under their Mistress' skin. To this day Hayate claims they enjoyed getting payback far too much. Especially Vita. The diminutive redhead had pulled out all the stops. It got her banned from any sort of entertainment system for a week, but she'd felt it had been worth it to finally see Hayate turn red as her hair.

Much to everyone's amusement, that had been one of the events which had led to himself and Hayate deciding to start dating. There were more than a few other events and comments to add to that but nothing of the earth shattering variety. And unfortunately for the more romantically inclined, there was no great declaration beneath the stars or fireworks celebrating the change in the status quo; just a pepper shaker and a joke.

Hayate, Nanoha, Fate, and he had been eating lunch together after he'd just finished a lecture at Vivio's academy. Nanoha had made a joking comment about how he and Hayate seemed like an old married couple after Hayate had handed him the pepper before he'd even had a chance to ask for it. Apparently her parents had this odd sort of synchronicity at times where one would know what the other needed or wanted without having to verbalize it. Yuuno couldn't quite recall seeing such a thing in the Takamachi's, but it wasn't the sort of thing he had paid special attention to or had thought particularly deeply on.

They'd all had a good chuckle until he took a moment to actually think about it. Not even a minute after the laughter had died down, he had asked Hayate out and she'd accepted with a smile and a laugh. Had it not been for Fate fainting out of shock, they might have gone right back to their food. Of course, Nanoha's laughter and declaration she had won the betting pool didn't help the situation.

The fact there had been a betting pool had had raised a few questions, but they spent most of their time trying to revive poor Fate. While she was happy to see them when she came around, the blonde woman was less than happy about the money she'd lost.

Snapping out of his nostalgia, Yuuno felt his stomach growl. "I should get something to eat..." His comment was heard by no one but himself as he stood from the couch.

Making his way towards the kitchen, he was alerted by a strange sound.

It sounded like static electricity and groaning.

However what was even stranger was the fact it came from his computer; his computer that was not even on. As a matter of fact, he hadn't turned on the machine since the day before yesterday.

The static he might have been able to explain via a loose wire. But the groan? That particular sound confused him.

It couldn't be a home invader unless said invader was actually inside his computer. And it sounded far too human to be a small animal that had found its way inside. Then again, it might just be some odd coincidence.

As he approached the magitech device to check what few cables there were, Yuuno noticed the display began to flicker in a very familiar manner. It was much like how those at the Library reacted whenever the code entity they were currently hosting interacted with a terminal.

"Did it escape?" He muttered to himself. No one else had made mention of their own computers acting oddly.

"...Fin-... fo-... ...-u..."

Yuuno took a sharp step backwards as the display began to show less static and more of what could almost have been the beginnings of some sort of magic. The groaning had begun to form words which echoed over the static and attempted to drown it into silence. He opened his mouth to question the voice as defensive calculations began running through his mind. "What are you?"

"So... -ng... se-...ing..."

A brilliant emerald shield sprang to life between Yuuno and the computer as he repeated his question, easing away from the device cautiously. "I'll ask again. Who or what are you?" He could really use some help right about now. He'd dealt with a lot of strange things with very little preparation before, but backup never, ever hurt.

"...No. On-... you. -o... he-p."

Before he could attempt to send off a telepathic call for help, something he hoped he was in range to get a response from, he felt a sharp pain in his head. His shield flickered as his vision swam and silence permeated his mind. There was nothing; not even his own thoughts could be heard. The only thing that cut through the void was the increasingly clear voice.

No longer did the horrifying and mysterious words emanate solely from the machine before him. No, Yuuno was subjected to the voice from all sources. Everything imaginable made the sounds which spoke to him; his computer, his books, the table, a picture of himself and Hayate on the wall. Even his own mouth spoke out in the haunting voice.

"Cannot... to an-... else... ...at my... -mits..."

Yuuno could only stare up at the ceiling of his home with empty eyes. Darkness bordering on madness had filled his being as he fell upon his knees, face frozen into the expression of determination and caution he had worn as he spoke to the voice.

Before the darkness became void, Yuuno's mind heard but two words as clearly as he had ever heard anything in his life.

"Forgive me..."

As Yuuno's body collapsed to the floor, not unlike a puppet with its strings cut or a freshly crafted corpse, the room appeared to shift in a wholly unnatural manner. Though the light of lamps and the artificial setting sun creeping through the windows did alight the room in a comfortable glow, shadow seemed to be reaching out and strangling all sources of illumination. It was not long before the entire home was steeped in an absolute darkness. Were there any who could witness the events taking place, they might have heard the faint crackle of some unknown power or a sound not unlike the tearing of paper.

Pushing forth from the abyss came a single hand.

And that hand struggled to tear away the void and free its owner from its bondage. Had there been light, the sight of blood red eyes might have been witnessed before the watcher's blood froze.

A sound of pained gasps and the dripping of fluid upon the floor could be heard. it preceded a great impact as a mass fell to the ground, crying out in pain as it did so. The single hand which had torn apart that which bound it was now doing all it could to pull its owner towards the unmoving Scrya.

The figure cloaked in blackness spoke as it draped itself over Yuuno's body.

"I pray... you will forgive me... This was... the only way I could find..." The voice was feminine, weak but beautiful even though there were none who could hear it. Long hair spilled out around her and fell upon the man beneath her. "I am sorry..."

With the only hand she still had, she reached out to touch his cheek in a gentle caress. Smears of the wetness that covered her hand remained upon Yuuno's flesh. Leaning forward, the woman placed her lips upon his and a great wind erupted around them. It drew from the fallen Yuuno his power and his life. Yet she did not steal his life, rather she took it into herself and returned it to him. The sound of chains resounded as she worked what magic she could without succumbing to her grievous wounds.

Second after second. Minute after minute. Time passed as the arcane ritual took place without ever so much as ruffling a single blade of grass beyond the borders of the single house. Not even the most potent searches of magic would find this event. For this was magic beyond the ken of human understanding.

To Yuuno, it could have been an instant or it could have been an eternity; for he was in no form of existence to comprehend the notion of time.

To the female, it was exactly two hours, forty-nine minutes, and three two-hundred fiftieths of a second.

The moment the fourth two-hundred fiftieth of a second came into being, the ritual ended. There was no great event. There was no great calamity or blaring of trumpets. Rather there was a sharp snap as reality reasserted itself. The fissures torn by her dark works and words of power mended themselves as though they had never been rent in the first place.

Light from a nearby lamp fell upon the blond man's eyes and he stirred. Yuuno took a deep gasping breath as his body demanded the oxygen it needed to live. His eyes snapped open and he sat up abruptly. Such an action proved to be a mistake as his vision doubled over and over again until it was nothing but a blur. It made him want to vomit as his body was also wracked with an alien pain he had never experienced before.

Before he could attempt to regain his senses, a hand placed itself upon his shoulder and steadied him.

"Please, do not strain yourself."

It was a voice he could not place in his state of mind, but he had enough of his wits to know there was a person there who had not been before. He attempted to look over at the one whom had spoken to him and nearly felt his heart seize.

"...Y-You." Yuuno's voice could not have been more shaken or unsteady.

A sad nod confirmed the fear he felt within his heart.

Kneeling there with shattered flesh, wounded beyond the ability of any mortal medicine to save and still appearing to be very much "alive", was someone who had gone to their grave many years ago.

She bowed her head, momentarily hiding the ominously glowing scars which cut across her right eye and stretched down below her chin. Her voice was beautiful; yet it carried a tremendous grief, the finality of a closing coffin, and the presence of a deity.

"I am the will of the Book of The Night Sky. If it pleases you, you may address me as my last and most beloved Mistress once did." Raising her head, her blooded gaze pierced deeply into Yuuno's being.

"You may address me as Reinforce, Yuuno Scrya."


	3. Revelations

Behold the next installment of this madness of mine wrought into reality! There have been a great many delays in this one; some owing from an ongoing case of writer's block and others owing to the dreaded entity known as real life. And RWBY. Can't forget RWBY.

I am quite glad so many of you enjoyed the last chapter. Truly, the response was far greater than I had anticipated. And this is only the beginning, so I hope to keep you all enthralled and happy to the very end.

I've taken a great many pointers on grammar to heart and I've done my best to implement them, so hopefully this is a bit easier on the brain to read. Also, there was one particular review about my use of purple prose. While said prose is often looked down upon and regarded as a very poor style of writing... That's kinda how I write. And think. And speak... And I think I may have issues.

Anyways, you're not here for my ramblings. You're here for more of this little tale of most fortunate and unfortunate souls. So if you haven't skipped this blurb of text, I bid thee to enjoy chapter three.

Reviews both positive and negative are greatly appreciated. And I own not a single thing save the plot.

EDIT: Re-uploaded with myriad fixes pointed out by the wonderful GrygFlzr.

* * *

Reinforce.

The being tragically and irrevocably tied to the Book of Darkness which had claimed countless world and exponentially more lives up until its destruction just over ten years ago.

A being who had died in the wake of that very same battle.

Yuuno numbly raised a hand towards the kneeling ruin she presented to him and pointed fearfully.

"You... You're dead. We all saw you die. There's even a headstone in Hayate's house with your name on it." And before then, it had resided in a small shrine at her home back on Earth. She'd had it made not a week after Reinforce Zwei had been born.

Reinforce shook her head and regarded the blond man with a heavy gaze. One might have even called it crushing.

"Though I did die and intended to remain that way... I am not bound by the same laws of mortality as you are." She made a glancing gesture towards her body and saw Yuuno's eyes widen as he finally appeared to take a long look at her. "Were I, then I would have long since passed..."

Torn, burnt, and bloody clothes resembling the armor and robes he recalled last seeing her in; they struggled to hide her decency and failed to hide the state of her body. In various places on her body, her flesh was cracked and in others simply gone. Blood seeped from only some of these wounds as the others appeared to have been cauterized by a tremendous heat. Simply gone was her entire left arm and her shoulder was a broken and bleeding mass. Adding to her ruinous body were scars too numerous to count and all of them glowing an angry red to match the furious eyes which had been present when the Defense Program had attacked.

Green eyes were snapped back to red as Reinforce spoke again.

"But even my existence has limits and had I not acted, then I would have been gone for good." As if to emphasize her point, she held up her remaining hand and a crack ran from her elbow to her wrist. It was like living stone coming apart.

"This can't be possible... It just can't." Yuuno made motion to hold his head in his hands, but found only the one hand which he had used to point at the returned dead obeying his command. In his terrified mind, he did not think of seeking help nor of fleeing. His analytical and brilliant mind was of no use anymore. All that he could think of was how impossible this was and that it must be some bizarre nightmare. Yet it felt all too real... And why couldn't he move his arm? "What's happening?" Horror was ripe on his face. "What have you done!?"

A grim expression found itself on Reinforce's face as she saw panic setting in along with confusion and anger. Her weakened self would never admit to being glad Yuuno was so stricken as to be unable to lash out in his fear. Everyone has a breaking point...

"I have... bonded us. For... all intents and purposes, we are of one body, one blood, and one flesh. A whole made of two broken halves."

It was a cruelty she knew her beloved Mistress would never forgive her for. Yet... she had no other recourse. When the dead yet walk, there is a reason.

And a price.

"I... I wasn't broken. I was _fine_! How could I possibly be half!?" His voice reached a fever pitch. "Tell me! What did you do to me-AAAAGH!" A scream of terrific pain cut into his demands as he collapsed forward and retched what little was in his stomach. The mess burned away before his very eyes. Yuuno was not even aware of the beautiful wraith placing his head upon her lap as agony set in.

Veins of green cut into his body mirroring those marking Reinforce. Every wound and blemish was inflicted upon him in exacting detail. So great was his pain that not even sound escaped his mouth anymore.

As he lay there, held from convulsing by a powerful hand, he heard Reinforce through his pain.

"The only thing I _could_ do..." A sorrowful whimper escaped her lips. "...I broke you."

Yuuno could not even begin to comprehend such an action before all things from his world vanished. All things save for himself and Reinforce. There was nothing save for a blackness that he had never seen before. It was almost painful to look at. But it was far less painful that what he was currently...

"Wait... It... doesn't hurt anymore."

"That is because I cut your mind away from your body. You are still very much in great pain... but you are no longer aware of it." Reinforce did not meet his eyes when she spoke. Her one hand moved to hug herself as though it would offer up some comfort for what she was doing to him. "I could not do so until I knew it was working..."

A dream... This has to be some bizarre dream...

"Reinforce..." If that truly is who stands in front of him. Wait, wasn't he on the floor? When did he stand up? "What did you do me? _Why_? Tell me what's going on!" There was anger in his voice. Anger for so many things. Not the least of which was the perceived agony he currently wasn't even sure was real.

She stepped towards him far more easily than the wounds on her body should have allowed. Then again, she should be dead.

"I broke you... I made you into my other half so I might... be whole again. So I can finish my task..." Pained ruby eyes looked into his and he nearly flinched at how deep they were. "I was indeed dead. But I was and am like the Wolkenritter were before Lady Hayate freed them from their bondage. They are flesh and blood now. Mortals who will never return from the pale."

"And you... aren't?" Now freed from his torture, Yuuno could finally think of something more than fury and pain. It was a most welcome distraction from what he had been subjected to. This... being who claimed to be Reinforce had placed a puzzle before him and he could not leave it be. It was simply part of who he was. Even given how surreal and nightmarish things were becoming.

"Not exactly... I am a creation of magic and science, just as my four Knights were." She stepped towards the bewildered man as the blackness began to shift, filling their surroundings with phantoms of a time long past. They were still as a painting and yet no detail of anything could be seen. Everything was... blank. "We have no mother. No father. Everything about us was... built. Down to our very souls."

Yuuno's eyes could not have help more shock than they already did and he could only fathom where this discussion would go.

"But that's... not possible. Not with the technology Ancient Belka had available to them. They were capable of a lot of things, but there's no evidence they could have possibly been capable of that."

Reinforce's eyes flickered for a moment and had the situation been vastly different, Yuuno could have called it amusing.

"Are you not an archaeologist? A researcher of the past? How much of history is shrouded in fog? I have seen you draw far greater conclusions from far more hidden events." It had taken perhaps more power and time than she would have liked, but observing her... final choice had proved insightful.

"You can't mean... Al Hazard!" It would be hard to underestimate the wonder in Yuuno's voice. "Belka built themselves up from Al Hazard's legends and legacy. They might have lacked a complete understanding, but you don't need that to make use of a lot of things you find." Nanoha was a prime example. She didn't understand even a tenth of what magic was or what it could do when they'd been hunting Jewel Seeds. And look at all she had accomplished. Even now, she was still learning.

The silver haired beauty nodded and pointed to a phantom which vaguely resembled a book. He did not even notice she pointed with a hand she did not possess moments ago.

"They may not have known all the secrets... But they were certainly skilled regardless." She paused when a severe expression crossed Yuuno's face. It was not one she had seen thus far. "Is... something the matter?" Aside from everything wrong about this entire situation to him?

"How can you claim to know all this now? Now after claiming ignorance when we needed answers?" It may have saved her life. It may have saved a lot of lives. It might also have spared Hayate and her family from a grief that still flickered in her eyes whenever she looked at Zwei.

"It is cruel of me to say this now..." And indeed there was a certain cruelty to her expression. But it was not a cruelty borne of malice... It was alien to Yuuno and he could not quite comprehend it no matter how he tried. "But not only did none of you ask the right questions... But... I wished to die to end the cycle."

Yuuno wanted to call her out on such a selfish answer, but he found himself unable to. How could he when he knew just how ancient and burdened she and all the Wolkenritter are. He bit his lip in frustration. "Even so..."

She shook her head and silenced him with a look.

"We could spend eternity debating my actions then. But you wanted answers to what I have done to you now... How and why I... broke you." A frustrated nod was her reply. "What you are suffering is... everything that I have suffered to come here. Absolutely... everything..." Pains that cannot be understood by the human mind.

His brow furrowed. "That's a what, Reinforce. Tell me why and how."

"The how is... rather simple. I... enacted a ritual through... I suppose you could call it the Dimensional Sea. I truly do not know where or what it is, only that nothing functions there as it does here and it was where I slept between each awakening of the Book of Darkness." Reinforce held up a hand to forestall any questions, and this time Yuuno did notice she now had both where before there had been only one. As his mouth opened to question it, she shook her head. "Wait."

"This ritual is... ancient; perhaps one of the few intact within the Book that dates back to Al Hazard. To my knowledge it has only been cast a mere handful of times and each did not see the survival of either the caster or the... victim." She bowed her head in apology, the most minor of actions for Yuuno she could do after stating quite clearly she could have killed him. "It... makes one out of two existences. One of flesh and the other... not."

Yuuno spoke out despite having been asked to remain silent. But his curiosity and anger were quite readily ignoring his sense of decorum. "But they need something to fit them together, like a puzzle."

Reinforce nodded. "I bonded us to begin the ritual. Afterwards... What is happening as we speak... Is the wounding and joining..."

His eyes flashed furiously.

"You're carving me up so I can fit your piece! That's why I couldn't move my arm. That's why your arm is back! What could possibly give you the right to do this to me!?" Yuuno stepped forward and Reinforce did not flinch back as he did so. "What would Hayate say if she knew you were doing this?"

As if struck by a physical blow, she recoiled. She knew Hayate would never approve of such foul acts and cruel magic. She knew this quite well. A Mistress as kind as her would be horrified at what was taking place here and now. "I... had to..." Fading like smoke before wind, her knowledgeable and relatively calm demeanor was shattering. "I had... no choice..." A sob cut her off.

"How could you have had no choice?" Reinforce's tears had driven away his furious and righteous anger, leaving behind a much cooler and level headed rage.

"I needed... a body..." With a hesitant wave of her hand, the scenery returned to blackness. "I needed... a host so I... could live once more and... end this..." Reinforce gasped and flinched when a strong hand gasped her arm. She looked up and saw a furious Yuuno, his gaze demanding answers. "All we did... was delay the inevitable. The corrupted... Defense Program... yet lives."

Yuuno released Reinforce's arm and took a step back, stunned and nearly breathless.

"It... wasn't destroyed?"

Reinforce shook her head and tried to wipe her eyes.

"N-No... I thought that... Once I died, it would be... t-trapped forever in that state, unable to return... Since I am its... root, it shouldn't... Shouldn't have been able to restore itself while I was... dead." So much pain and suffering, all for nothing.

"But it did. And judging by your appearance... whatever happened wasn't peaceful in the least." And he is currently being subjected to it. For the first time since this debacle began, he was actively glad Reinforce had removed his consciousness. He sighed tiredly when she shook her head. "Okay... So the Defense Program is still corrupted and now running wild. And for some reason, you chose me to host you so that you could come back to life and stop it for good. Am I on the right track so far?"

She nodded and color began to seep into the void, slowly beginning to take the form of Yuuno's home.

"You are not the strongest, but you are... strong enough for what I need."

"And there's no possible way you would ever think of doing this to Hayate." Even if by some twisted perversion of logic she would; come hell or high water, he wouldn't let her. Never did he consider the impossibility of actually stopping someone like Reinforce.

"The only reason I even considered this course of action is due to the threat to her life. Otherwise..." Left unsaid was the notion of abandonment. If Hayate had not been in mortal peril, no matter how unknown or slight, then she would have likely let the whole of creation burn. At this point, Yuuno truly feared the devotion held by Reinforce. Still, she continued, "Your friends, Nanoha and Fate, neither would have been capable. The former... is still too vulnerable despite her power and would have died. And the latter is... completely incompatible..." There was another pause as she drew a breath. "You were the only one I could trust and that would survive the ordeal."

Yuuno wasn't sure whether to be honored or not. At the very least his head was now clear enough to really think straight. He inhaled deeply and did his best to sort out all the warring emotions within him before he spoke again. Make no mistake, he was still quite furious at what had been done to him against his will, but he was willing to look past that at the moment to look at the larger picture. "If I asked you every single question I had, then we'd be able to see the end of time. But I'll stick to three for now."

A brief hint of a smile tugged at her lips.

"Very well." She was not doing a very good job of hiding the relief in her voice though. She could tell he was still more than angry, but was doing his best to accept the fate she had inflicted upon him.

He shook his head.

"Well, four, actually. I'd kinda like to know... how I'm going to wake up, but for now we'll stick to the three most important at the moment." Yuuno locked eyes with Reinforce and began, "Firstly, where we begin dealing with the Defense Program? Secondly, what does our... bond entail? And thirdly, perhaps most importantly: what will you tell Hayate?"

Reinforce drew a sharp breath at the third query, but Yuuno's gaze held her fast.

"We will... start with research. It is one of your better traits, correct?" He nodded and she continued. "Our bond is similar to a Unison. However the difference is that... this one is permanent. I do not know the conditions of ending it as this is the only successful attempt I am aware of. I would imagine... death is the only certain means of separating us now." Were it not for the regretful expression on her face, Yuuno might have loosed a scathing question. As it was, he let her continue. "And Lady Hayate... I will tell her the... truth. No matter how much she might condemn my actions... I will not lie to her."

"And when will you tell her?" Telling the truth meant little if you never actually come out and say it.

There was a pregnant pause as Reinforce remained silent. Just as Yuuno was about to call her out on stalling, she spoke in an ever so slightly fearful voice, "As soon as... We stabilize. A day or two at the absolute most..."

A sound not unlike a doorbell's chime penetrated into the ethereal realm they currently occupied.

Yuuno looked from the door to the hazy form that was his body and finally to a suddenly very nervous Reinforce.

"Looks like you won't have that long."


End file.
